Tarun Reviews | Justice League: Throne Of Atlantis

By Tarun Napit, February 5, 2015

We’ve all heard of royal treason – the queen getting murdered by the prince, second in line to the throne; the prince taking over the throne; the entire kingdom, even the world, jeopardized in the new king’s reign; and finally, the sudden appearance of the legitimate crown prince, who defeats the villainous king and saves the day.

Well, that’s more or less the plot of the recently released Justice League animated movie – Justice League: Throne of Atlantis.

When you have characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg and Shazam in a movie, you expect it to be larger. Justice League: War, the prequel to this movie that was released in the summer of 2014 had more flick to it. The story focused on an alien invasion led by Darkseid with the seven superheroes teaming up to defeat the ruler of Apokolips. The movie was grand, there was a lot of action and most importantly, the threat seemed like a Justice League level threat.

Throne of Atlantis, on the other hand, is more centered on Aquaman. Throughout the movie, we watch this character develop and transform. Arthur Curry, from a mere nobody becomes the ruler of Atlantis, a hidden city in the ocean.

The main antagonist of the movie is Orm, also known as Ocean Master, who also happens to be Arthur’s half-brother. He also has the same powers as Aquaman – control over the sea, sea creatures, invulnerability to most weapons, superhuman strength and the ability to breathe underwater. He also wields a trident that belongs to the king. The weapon gives him control over lightning which adds a lot to his advantage.

Unfortunately despite all his powers, the antagonist doesn’t really seem like a big threat. We do see him defeating the Justice League, but it’s just not justified. It feels like there’s something that’s not setting well in the plot. We see the characters in action for a very short period of time, which isn’t satisfactory as well. Batman, my favorite character, is mostly in the background – he doesn’t even raise a fist when it’s time for action!

Well, there are a few good aspects to the movie too. First of all, it’s the second installment from DC to be based on the New 52 storyline. If you didn’t know already, the New 52 introduced totally different aspects of all characters in the DC Universe. Superman dates Wonder Woman instead of Lois Lane, Shazam is presented as an immature adult, Green Lantern is pretty arrogant and so on. The movie presents these character traits successfully. The voice direction and cast is also pretty amazing. The voice of the actors playing different characters seem realistic and creates a long lasting impression.

While the movie may leave a sense of dissatisfaction among fans, it’s still a must-watch especially if you’re a fan of the DC Universe.